1. If I have already earned a bachelor’s degree, how do I get a
license to teach in North Carolina?

2. How do I become a “lateral entry” teacher?

When a person is hired to teach by a school system and does not have a North Carolina teaching license, it is called lateral entry. People are hired lateral entry only when there are no licensed teachers to fill the vacancy. Go to: www.uncw.edu/ed/degrees.html. You will find a list of the degree and licensure programs that are offered. Select the program that you are interested in for detailed information.

Licensure for grades K-12

4. Do I get credit for courses I have already taken?

An analysis of your transcript(s) will determine what course requirements have already been met. An individual plan of study will list the courses that remain to be taken.

6. What steps do I take to be admitted to UNCW?

That depends upon the program that is selected: The undergraduate licensure-only program, or the Master of Arts in Teaching. For admission requirements regarding the licensure-only program, see our checklist for completing licensure requirements which includes the information about the application for admission. You will be applying as a “special undergraduate”. Check the box at the top of the application that has this label, and list “teaching license only” as your intended major. For the M.A.T. program, visit the WCE graduate school webpage.

7. What are the requirements for admission to the Watson College of Education?

For the licensure-only student, admission to the Watson College of Education is required in order to take education courses that are numbered higher than EDN 303. One must submit a completed application form which will be reviewed at the end of the fall, spring, or summer II semesters once grades have been posted. If your application is denied, you must complete a new application for the next review.

8. What are the content course requirements for middle grades licensure?

Accreditation needs 24 hours of content coursework in one of the following
subjects: English, math, social studies or science. That subject area
will be your primary teaching field, and you will take the methods course
as well as the remainder of the middle grades education courses. We encourage
students to also become licensed in an additional teaching field.

9. What are the content course requirements for secondary (high school)
licensure?

A degree in the content area is required for
secondary licensure. For example, a degree in English is required to
teach English at the high school level. If the degree does not completely
match your chosen field, a transcript analysis will be done to determine what
requirements have been met and what content and education courses remain
to be taken.

10. Will I be licensed to teach if I move to another state?

Reciprocity has always applied to the way teachers are educated at the university level in a given state. However, because it is no longer a qualifying factor in licensing teachers for North Carolina, the NC State Department of Public Instruction no longer publishes a reciprocity list. If you are moving out of North Carolina, you will need to contact your new state to find out the process for licensing.

11. Is financial aid available for “licensure only” students?

A licensure-only student can apply for a student loan as a “special undergraduate”.
Go to the financial aid and veteran’s services webpage at www.uncw.edu/finaid.
The category on the webpage that is titled About Financial Aid provides
extensive information and links to many subcategories. There is also
a category that is titled Forms which provides all of the forms that
one needs to complete. It is important to contact the financial aid office
to ask questions and be assigned a financial aid counselor.